me.”
“What I’m thinking about might be different,” Jason said, closing his eyes for a moment. He reached across the distance, feeling the cold high overhead. There was something about it that was familiar, stirring deep within him. He could feel the energy sweeping around, the power of the cold of the north, all of it mixing together, forming a cloud of energy that washed over him. Jason held onto that sense, thinking that if he could reach across that distance, maybe he could call to the cold and maybe he could recharge with the energy of the upper atmosphere. Maybe he would even be able to call upon ice lightning. If he could do that, he thought he would have an advantage.
They swooped off to the side, and Jason put those thoughts away.
If he were able to reach for the power of the dragons, the source from where they drew their energy, he might be able to use it directly, and he would no longer have to fear weakening the dragons as he called to them. Each time he called upon that energy, Jason could feel some aspect of them shifting, almost as if their power were fading as he dragged on it.
The ice dragon headed toward the north.
When they reached above the clouds, the energy of the ice dragon still flowed from him, powerful and free, filling Jason with it. Every so often, Jason could feel the ice dragon making a connection to the cold around him. It was something that he felt distinctly. It was almost as if he were meant to feel it.
Could I use that?
As he focused on that sense, he thought about the energy that was there, and he thought about whether there was something he might be able to master within that connection. Jason could feel something within it, almost as if he should be able to draw upon that power.
Even though he’d tried to push that thought away, thinking about the power that was out there, he still hadn’t fully abandoned it. The sense of that energy, the power he could detect, remained within him, something more.
He shifted the connection to that of the iron dragon. He could feel something through the iron dragon glove, the power he had, the heat radiating from him, and through that connection, he was aware of something more, an energy that burned within him. Within that energy, Jason recognized the source of that heat, the power that burst within him, and he was aware of just how much power he could call upon.
Still, there was something else within it. It took him a moment to realize what it was: frustration. The iron dragon remain frustrated by what Jason asked of him. Not only that, but he remained frustrated by feeling as if he were separated from what they were doing.
Maybe that was a mistake.
As far as he knew, he had done what he thought was right, but the iron dragon wouldn’t have an opportunity to choose for himself. These days, it seemed to Jason that more and more, he irritated the dragons. As much as he wanted to work on their behalf, trying to help them, trying to ensure that they were safe, there were times when he felt as if the only thing he did was manage to annoy them.
He’d become overly protective. All he wanted was to let them be free, but what if in doing so, he had controlled them in his own way?
“Would the dragons prefer to be left alone?”
The ice dragon didn’t answer right away, and Jason thought that was more than enough of an answer.
They streaked toward the north, and through the openings in the clouds, mountains rose up around them. The cold and white-capped mountain peaks created a separation between this land and the one that was beyond, a separation difficult for most dragons to cross. The only dragon Jason knew who was able to do so was the ice dragon. The regular dragons, those from Dragon Haven and those from Lorach, struggled with the cold and the energy present here, and Jason knew they wouldn’t be able to travel quite so far. The cold seemed to push back, as if it were trying to prevent them from passing into it.
“There are times when the connection to your kind is difficult,” the ice dragon finally said. “There are times when the connection is rewarding.”
“What times are those?”
“Such as when I feel how you feel about the dragons,” the ice dragon